Welcome. You'll find comments and information here about education in Tennessee with a focus on Nashville as well other issues as I keep an eye on legislation and news. You'll quickly realize I'm a conservative Christian who isn't the quiet submissive type and doesn't mind rankling, if necessary, to get the job done.

Friday, September 09, 2005

As noted yesterday, Andrew B. Morgan (Drew) is running for representative in the 22nd District previously held by Chris Newton. As promised Drew forwarded to me his statement on education which I include below.

I like much of what Drew says in this statement. It doesn't get better than a matter-of-fact: "Parents are the primary educators of their children." For the most part parents are the best folks to evaluate and choose an education delivery system that fits their child. It's encouraging to read Drew's statement below in that light. And while I'm sure some folks will take issue with his youth I believe that having recently exited the current K-12 education system his is a voice that we ought to give serious consideration.

So here's what Drew has to say:

Education

Education is the cornerstone of a great society. Parents are the primary educators of their children. Together, we must provide our children with the best education that we can provide. To do this, we must approach education from a new angle. We need to make education more competitive. We need better schools and better learning environments. Parents need choices in where to send their children. Charter schools, private schools and home schooling are all options that are showing good marks in alternative education. We need to make the infrastructure more conducive to allow parents to choose between these other options and traditional public schools.

In public schools, we need to adjust the manner in which we view the pupils. We need to integrate the aspects of college and high school earlier on. Our children need to be able to choose between a technical and collegiate path and we need to have them ready to step up to the new challenges that college will present to them. In higher education, we must raise the bar and expect more from incoming students and continue that throughout the collegiate experience. Furthermore, we must re-evaluate the financial aid system, specifically with the HOPE scholarships. We must focus on those who are truly in need of financial aid. This way, we will have more scholarships for more Tennesseans and can send more money toward bricks and mortar and pre kindergarten education.

Also, we must eliminate the unnecessary red tape that surrounds education, whether it is public, charter, private or home school. We must bring education policy back to the local and state governments. Washington has no business dictating Tennessee’s education policy. Additionally, we must fight to keep the BEP in a position that rural schools will not be pushed aside by larger systems in urban areas.

Basically what I am saying is we need to allow students to choose which path they want to take. Technical or collegiate. Then, cater to their respective needs. Have classes such as engineering available to help get them started for an education in technical areas. If one school does not have enough students to fill a class, combine students from nearby schools and treat it almost as a technical college environment. Basically with this idea, I propose that we start treating highschool as we do college. Offer choices and allow students to tailor those classes to their schedules. If we need to cross systems, I see no problem with that. In higher ed, we have to expect more out of students and their high schools. Too often, students come into college unprepared. We should no longer bring the curve down. Expect more out of people. It is the only way they will meet their potential.

How do we do this? Change the way we teach educators to teach. Allow for discussion. Standardization is the enemy of thought. We must re-evaluate some of our testing ideas. If we require teachers to teach to an exam, that is only what the students will learn. We should allow professionals to teach some classes. Civics classes could be taught by some elected officials in a way that could a typical civics teacher could not address. Experience and application can be used in such a way that students can learn an issue from the book and reality. Mechanics could teach automotive classes. I believe that this is an idea that could help out, especially in the technical fields.

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Tennessee Constitution

The state of Tennessee recognizes the inherent value of education and encourages its support. The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools. Article XI, Sec. 12